Pastor Sean DeLawder
Woodsboro Evangelical Lutheran Church
(2/1) Happy New Years! It is hard to believe that 2022 has arrived and 2021 is just a memory. Do you have excitement for the New Year? Many people will make New Year’s resolutions; there are always the popular resolutions such as losing weight, exercising, eating healthy and others that we use to help us to become physically better people. But what about a resolution that is focused on our inner selves, our faith and our spirituality. By working on our spirituality and faith we often find that it motivates us to work on our whole self, which means that frequently we reap physical benefits as well as emotional benefits. Maybe a resolution to consider for this year is to engage in a faith community.
I know that many of you are saying that you do not need a church in order for you to commune with God – and that is true. God is everywhere and always is there, and you can have a relationship and connect spiritually where ever you are. But there are benefits to belonging to a faith community and in fact God calls us to be in community with one another. When we are in community we are better able to do God’s work because in community we can work together for common goals. We are also able to learn from one another, pick one another up during hard times, and celebrate together during good times.
The Apostle Paul says in his letter to the Romans, "For as in one body we have many members, and not all members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members of one another." (12:4-5 NRSV). We are called to come together so that we can each bring our individual talents and gifts and join them with others individual talents and gifts, which in turn means that together we form a cohesive body; a community that can do so much more as a whole body than just an individual person.
The Apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Hebrews, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (10:25 NRSV) Many of us have such busy lives that worshiping together has fallen to the bottom of our list, and it seems like Paul was struggling with this as well. But it is important for us to worship together for many reasons, for example simply the energy that you receive from one another when you come together to sing, to praise God, to read scripture, and to hear a message. But also coming together to worship helps us to maintain our connection and relationships with one another and to be able to reach out and rely on one another because after all, when we worship together the sense that we are family is reinforced.
Yes, we are still in a pandemic, and the COVID virus may cause us to one day go back virtual worship for a while. But that does not mean that we are not still in community; in fact for some it may be easier to join in with a virtual service. Just because we are worshiping virtually does not mean that we are not connecting with one another and connecting with God. Jesus says in Matthew, "For where two or three are gather in my name, there am I with them." (18:20 NRSV). A virtual worship also allows for a shy person or someone who has not participated in an in person worship service to join in from a place where they are comfortable before venturing into a church. I know that for some people it can be intimidating to come into a church for the first time, especially if you were not brought up in church or if it has been a long time since you attended a church. If that is you, I encourage you to view one or two services online to help you feel
more comfortable; and always remember that we here at WELC welcomes everyone just as they are – because remember, Jesus never turned anyone away, and neither do we.
Another reason to come together as a community, either in person or virtually, is to study and learn from one another. The bible is often referred to as the living word of God. That is why the bible is still relevant all these years later, but that also means that what we may read in our scriptures today may produce a different meaning for us than when we read it last week, or last month, or last year. When we study together, we can help one another to see how God’s word is speaking to us today and we listen and share with one another and help one another to open us up to God’s word in 2022.
But it is not that we come together simply to worship and study; we come together for fellowship and fun. Psalm 95:1 says, "Come let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation." Psalm 32:11 says, "Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; and shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart." A big part of community is coming together to enjoy and be a part of God’s family. Whenever COVID allows us to safely gather, we come together for community meals, for vacation bible school, for community outreach projects and much more. When we join together for events such as these, not only are we doing the work that God calls us to do, but we can find fun and joy and fellowship and we can rejoice with one another and give thanks to God for the blessing of being and working together.
So I hope that you have excitement for what 2022 may bring. I hope that you take some time to consider whether one of your new year’s resolutions will be to strengthen your faith and your spirituality. Psalm 70:4 says, "Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; and let those who love Your salvation say continually, ‘Let God be magnified."’ There is joy to be found in a world of uncertainty and that joy is found in our God and it is enhanced by our relationships with one another.
I hope you will join us this year at Woodsboro Evangelical Lutheran Church – you are welcome always! We are located at 101 South Main Street, Woodsboro. Our Sunday morning worship begins at 9am. For information about our church or any of our events you may call 301-845-4533 or visit our website at www.woodsborolutheranchurch.com. Out Sunday services are posted each Sunday afternoon on our YouTube channel as well. God’s peace and blessings be with you all today and throughout the year.
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